“Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement.” - Abraham Joshua Heschel
Greetings, Scare Your Soul Community,
Here’s a truth bomb:
I get nervous … REALLY nervous … before I speak publicly.
And yesterday was no different.
I was tied up in knots all day as I contemplated the evening dialogue I was going to be having with Rabbi David Woznica at the historic Stephen S. Wise Synagogue in Los Angeles.
It hadn’t helped when the Rabbi had casually told me that he had interviewed luminaries for years (including Elie Wiesel no less than 7 times)!
But, the moment we sat together, in front of a warm and welcoming congregation, all of the angst melted away.
We talked deeply and intimately about life.
And courage.
And one of my favorite topics: Radical Amazement.
This week, I invite you to a Scare Your Soul challenge that will remind you of what your life is about …
… in its tiny, beautiful moments.
Abraham Joshua Heschel, 1907 - 1972, is my spiritual superhero.
He spoke of something he called "radical amazement."
It’s this idea that life, every single bit of it, is a mind-blowing miracle.
We’re talking about the mundane stuff here – your smartphone buzzing with texts, the cozy corners of your home, the humdrum of daily living:
“Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement. ....get up in the morning and look at the world in a way that takes nothing for granted. Everything is phenomenal; everything is incredible; never treat life casually. To be spiritual is to be amazed.”
Heschel's not just nudging us; he's shaking us awake.
He says, “Hey, don’t sleepwalk through life!”
Every little thing – that morning coffee, the way the sun filters through your window, even the mess of your unsorted laundry – it’s all part of this incredible, inexplicable gift of being alive.
He wants us to keep our eyes wide open in wonder, like kids seeing a magic trick for the first time, every time.
In that spirit of radical amazement, I have an invitation for you this week.
This Week’s Scare Your Soul Challenge: Imagine The Last Time
I have a slightly eccentric invitation for you this week.
Let's pretend we're doing ordinary things for the last time ever.
Drive to work. Floss your teeth. Pet the dog. Make your special marinara sauce. Then really pay attention, soak it in, be present.
I know - it sounds a little weird and sad, like those "If today was your last day on Earth..." hypotheticals.
But stay with me here.
This isn't about trying to be morbid. It's about cherishing the hidden extraordinary moments inside our regular old days.
Even the most routine stuff, like grabbing coffee with your brother or getting gas or checking email, contains tiny shards of beauty.
Noticing them is the trick.
When we imagine it's the final time, those shards sparkle more. The sweetness and sadness of goodbye wakes us up.
So give it a try. Pick an everyday thing you do and pretend it's your last round.
What do you notice that you've been missing?
Any small surges of feeling?
The humid smell of just-washed dishes or the way the dog sighs before napping?
Let me know what you discover.
I have a hunch the smallest details will suddenly seem soaked in miracles. The mundane will shimmer a little.
You'll carry more awake-ness and aliveness into the rest of your days.
And isn't that what we’re after?
To be fully here, fully present, before it's too late? This quirky practice helps get us there.
Let the last time be a first for courageously noticing beauty.
At the book signing after the event last night, something wonderful occurred: we actually ran out of books!
Luckily, you don’t have to wait in line … you can order yours from Amazon or Barnes & Noble!
Oh, and can I ask you to submit a quick review? It only takes seconds!
In courage and blessings,